Easter Blessings

The intent was to get up and go to a sunrise service at our church. Well, that didn't quite work out the way we planned. We awoke later to the excited boys discovering their Easter baskets. I think the old Easter Bunny hit the nail on the head with goodies this year. The guys got a little of their favorite candy including a Pez, and a strip of 5 Hot Wheels cars. Aaron also got a Duncan yo-yo and two guitar magazines. Daniel got a super-duper bouncy ball and the coolest dinosaur book. This occupied them for another hour of sleep for me and Barry!

After making some Jello for Papa we packed up and headed toward Mama's house for lunch. Along the way they dropped me off to drive Granny & Papa over. Granny remarked sadly that this is the first Easter that she had nothing to give the boys or anyone, including "her" children in the neighborhood. Well, I can't have Granny upset about something like that, especially on Easter Sunday. The CVS above Mama's house was open, so we did a little shopping. We got some individually wrapped chocolate marshmallow bunnies for her neighborhood kids, some Silly Putty for the boys, and a little pack of candy for Mama, Barry, and me. She wanted Papa to have something too, so we found some cookies he'd like. Now she was no longer empty-handed and was much happier!

Mama had ham, veggies, and some good desserts. Barry cooked chicken and veggies on the grill. Granny & Papa made some good slaw. Papa specifically asked for Jello with fruit, so I made him a big bowl of that. It was all good!!! Walt, of course, joined us. The kids visited Mrs. Margaret and took her some flowers. Then they rode their scooters and skateboards on the driveway, colored Easter eggs, and then waited patiently inside while I hid the eggs. It took them a while to find them all, and they really had fun doing it. They are getting so big, and it is always so wonderful when I can see them just being a kid like that!

Now Barry and the boys are in bed, the birdies are tucked in, the fish are fed, and Hat the Cat is snuggled up in his bed in the garage. I'm just thinking about Easters past, and about the reason for celebrating in the first place. It isn't about bunnies and eggs. It's about victory! Jesus died for me, but today we celebrate that He rose! Not even death could stop Him. And through Him, God gave us the most precious gift ever...the promise that we are forgiven and will have everlasting life. Yes, we had a very blessed Easter today indeed!

Weathering the Storms

The phone rang late on Friday evening. Mama was warning us of the storm that was approaching from Atlanta, where a tornado had touched down in the city. She was heading into her closet and was advising us to do so as well. We turned on the news to see the latest weather warnings, which were scary to say the least. I opened the pantry, the boys got flashlights, and Barry brought pillows so we could grab them at a moment's notice. Thankfully, the worst part of the storm passed us by. The images from downtown Atlanta on the TV were quite a different story. The tornado tore up a 6 mile stretch right through the heart of the city, damaging the Dome, World Congress Center, and Centennial Park. Most windows on one side of the Omni Hotel were gone, as were a good many in the Equitable Building and the Peachtree Plaza, which also took damage to the famous glass elevator on the side of the building. Many homes in Cabbagetown were destroyed and damaged, as well as lofts and buildings in the city. Even Grady Hospital had damage.

Saturday morning we took our time getting up after the stressful night before. The day was gray and cloudy with the hint of more storms to come. We watched the TV at the local pizza restaurant as warning after warning flashed across the screen. It looked like they were all north of Atlanta this time. We did a little shopping and were returning home when the weather got really bad. It began to hail as we turned into our neighborhood, getting harder and harder as we neared home. The boys were amazed at the white balls collecting on the grass and the sound as they hit the roof of the Jeep. When we got in the driveway the worst of it hit. I was honestly afraid the windows of the Jeep were going to shatter under the golf ball-size hail. We were trapped, unable to do anything but pray and watch the hail rolling down the neighbor's roof. When it slowed we decided to make a run for the front door. That is when we encountered a solid foot of hail that had collected on the porch. It was still hailing some as we pushed some of the pile of hail out of the way in order to open the door. After making sure we were all OK, I grabbed the camera to get some photos of the hail and the damage. I opened the garage door, and a very frightened and soggy Hat the Cat gladly came in from under my Jeep where he'd been trapped during the storm. I sent one of the boys into the garage with a towel to dry him off a little. Outside it became apparent that while we were spared from the worst of the storm, we didn't completely escape the damage. The Jeeps were dented and one mirror was shattered. The window frames on the boys' rooms were chipped, as were the gingerbread trim pieces on the front. All the gutter guards had been torn loose, as were the shingles on the highest point of the roof, and the front of the window unit in the bonus room window took a beating. Barry called the insurance company and an adjuster will be out Monday.

The most amazing photo I took though was one of my 6-foot husband standing in a foot of hail at our front door. That's one for the books, and one I certainly hope to never repeat.